andy_george

I was a pretty focused gear head in my teens and twenties. My brother and I had an amazing 10 year stint as pretty successful amateur motorcycle road racers, racing with the WERA Roadracing and National Endurance racing series. We were to the AMA big boys what the Nascar Nationwide series is the the Cup series. Had great success and even greater memories, wouldn't trade those memories for anything. Now in my mid thirties, still enjoy outdoors and motorsports, but to a much lesser degree. 4 lovely daughters and an amazing wife have made it easy to settle down. Being self employed for our family business keeps us busy, but with our free time we enjoy heading to our campground an hour north with our camper, heading south to Florida for a week in the winter, and a trip once in a while to visit my wife's family back in Madison, NE. I have a Honda CRF 50 I bounce around in here at the farm. Had a Kawasaki KLR250 until this summer when a deer ran out of a bean field directly in front of me, totaling the bike and putting me in the hospital for a week. Hard to imagine I used to race 100hp + bikes all over the east with no incidents, and I nearly meet the Good Lord riding my 25hp dual sport:/ Looking to buy a sidexside, maybe after Christmas. I have a Honda Pioneer 1000 on my radar, as a way to keep enjoying nature and motorsports, while letting the kids ride along everywhere I go. Most of the use will be here at home, but we'd love to take trips to trails in Michigans UP, in the Keewanaw peninsula. Love it up there.....!

I get a lot of comments on it's size also. Like a Nissan Cube on steroids;). But I think it's funny how the footprint of the NV really isn't much bigger than any Suburban or double cab full size truck. But the square greenhouse makes it look very bus-ish. And everyone knows that square shapes hold more than the other options with the slanted, curved rear glass and lots of tumblehome (the way the side windows taper in as they go up)!

I've had a bar since last summer that I planned to put in the bumper hole. But lately I've had my eye on getting a new side x side (Honda Pioneer 1000) and I think I may put the bar on that instead. Still undecided.....

Just an update, at 21,000 miles the vibration/whine is gone. Seems to have cured itself!

I've too noticed it's been a little quiet in here lately. It's definetely mainly due to the small number of members, but I don't think that's a bad thing. As new people join or just browse and search for answers to questions, there probably just isn't the need for new posts as they find their answers in older posts maybe? I love my van, that hasn't changed! Just gave it the fall wax job, and dang it looks amazing. I sure appreciate the simple, easy to wash exterior. Just as much as I love the simple, no frills, and no squeaks and rattles interior. It's not the best looking vehicle in the world, and it doesn't have the most luxurious interior, but it's so refreshing to own a van that simply puts function before form, and doesn't try to be something it's not. That's rare these days in the automotive world....

I don't have a front license plate (thank you Michigan!) and have never had the beeping issue.

Here is a pic of mine. Usually when I load photos they appear upside-down. In that case, just flip your monitor;)

Sweet, thanks! I'm sure at some point we will want to try that out....!

Dang, nice work. It's going to be awesome. Wish the NVP was that simple to do the wall and ceiling insulation job in. That sure would make the HVAC performance and sound insulation top notch....!

You'll love your new van, good purchase! Your mods are good ideas, and your minor complaints are the exact issues I had when we got our van last year. But I'm glad to say the positives have FAR outweighed the negatives for us 20,000 miles in. We love our van, and I'm sure you guys will to....!

Got mine through tirerack.com. Good wheels at decent prices. Any snow tires from a major manufacturer would be fine.... I ended up with Continental Extremewintercontact, have been happy so far...

I hope. I hope. I hope!

Sweet!

I'd like a strip, but I thought chromed plastic would be best to match the mirror caps and the doorhandles on the SL. Does anyone know where to get a high-quality stick-on chrome molding?

Thumbs up! You'll be really happy!!

I bought my van from Elhart Nissan in Holland, MI. Fox didn't carry the NV's at that time. I wonder when they began....? Fox is half the distance, so that's good to know. Thanks!!

And now my brother hates chris_commercial.....

I always read it as "Raiding Tucson". Not sure why...!

My brother is ready to put a deposit down on an NVP the second they announce that the 5l Cummins from the Titan is getting plopped into them. And mine could be put up for sale then also if the diesel price premium is something I can stomach. Probably unlikely tho.... Do it, Nissan!!

My whole family is also on the short side. Is there something about the shortness gene that makes people likely to buy an NV? Hmmmmmm;) I'd love running boards.... My last van had them, all of our vehicles growing up had them, etc. But I HATE having to always wash and polish them.... They are the first part to get super nasty with Michigan winter salt. And I also hate poking a bunch of mounting holes into an otherwise sealed body structure..... Just inviting more corrosion.

I lack any sort of originality when it comes to usernames. Hence.... -Andy George

Hahaha..... I've been meaning to ask Chris if he has a brother named Patrick who starred on Grey's Anatomy until he decided to be a real man and take up full-time sports car racing ;)

Got mine from superbrightLEDs.com

My sonar seems to work perfectly, too. I find the front sonar to be the most appreciated. When in a tight parking lot and it's necessary to nose up to a small car or some other bumper height object it's super beneficial to be able to get within 6" when the vehicle is 20' long....

As a driving population we are a spoiled bunch, no doubt. My dad says 30 years ago it didn't matter what you drove, when you came to a hill, you lost speed. Now everything is so grossly overpowered (especially diesel pickups, OMG!) it makes nearly every hill effortless. It's an adjustment to own something that does loose a good bit of speed when towing up steep grades, but it's never worried me much....